The Legend of Korra: Righteousness
by Worldwalker14
Summary: Kuvira's invasion of Republic City was stopped, the leader of the Earth Empire was defeated and imprisoned, and peace and balance have returned to the world. The Avatar now has gone into the Spirit World together with her girlfriend for a vacation; things are beginning to pick up. However, once again, a storm is brewing, one that comes from the past, to promise havoc...
1. Prologue

**Note: Hi, guys, sorry for the pretty long hiatus. I needed to take a break from this writing stuff, as it kinda infuriated me in many many ways. "But now I'm tanned, I'm rested and I'm ready to give this old town a wedgie again!". Also, I know I have posted the trailer for Book 2 of the Master of Puppets series, but this is NOT Book 2, as you saw the title. With the Korrasami comic ( or Book 5, if you want ) release date fast approaching ( June 2017. I know, it's in June; but trust me, June will blast at your face quicker than the Flash before you know it xD ), I just had an idea. "What if Saudorn was an actual LOK character, being Asian and having Asian name? Would he be her ally or enemy? What would his ideology be aside Amon's, Unalaq's, Zaheer's and Kuvira's?". So, here it is, my take on "Book 5". Enjoy :D . This fic is rated M because of violent and sexual contents. I do not own the Legend of Korra. Credits go to the owners and creators of that amazing show. Please review and comment.**

 **Prologue**

 **Intro 1**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

 **Intro 2**

"Welcome back to Republic City, where benders and nonbenders live happily together in particular, and humans and spirits with each other in general, all thank to the very spirit portal at the center of the city, which was opened by none other than our famous but esteemed Avatar Korra! After the conflict between this splendid metropolis, alongside the Avatar, and Kuvira, peace has returned here to let harmony thrive, even better than before! Following this, Republic City received a glorious, yet heartfelt event - the Wedding of the genius Sir Varrick and Lady Zhu Li Moon. Congratulations! But that's not all, for the news of Avatar Korra traveling in the Spirit World together with the late captain of industry's daughter ( Goodness rests his soul! ), Asami Sato, has managed to create a cultural and historical impact, breaking and warming the hearts of their admirers at the same time, even though they have gone only for two days. And that's all, folks. Now you take care!" - Shiro Shinobi

...

Inside the Republic City Prison, noon.

Garkan heard Meifeng's voice from his right, no doubt standing in front of his cell's door, her hands holding a tray which had his lunch on it, his eyes closed, him sitting cross-legged on his bed, leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head, relaxed.

"Can I trust you not to do anything that would cause trouble for the both of us?".

He sighed in annoyance, again, still keeping his eye closed. "Haven't you got tired of saying that line over and over and over again? If I were you, I'd think I was losing my mind".

Now, he heard the clicking sounds of the key being put into the lock, and the lock mechanism being loosened, causing the door to be unlocked. Then, he heard the sounds of the female prison guard's footsteps, entering his cell, gentle and slow, yet calm and confident. Even though he didn't like the guards much, he respected a few of them, who were very devoted to their profession, and took it very seriously, Han Meifeng among those. She had just become a prison guard for just a few months ( three months before Kuvira's invasion of the city, that is ). She joined because she wanted to have firsthand experience dealing with criminals before joining the Republic City Police Force. Her reason was: She needed to differentiate the kind of criminals who are ones and who aren't, in order to help drawing a clearer line between justice and injustice, all after the false arrest of Lau Gan-Lan - the owner of the Cabbage Corp - her father. That sounded quite cliché, he had to admit, but he didn't care about her reason, he focused on the way she acted and talked: Kindly, collectedly, decisively and straight to the point. After all, she was the one who'd helped a great deal in the evacuation of all the prisoners in this place.

As soon as Meifeng put the tray on his table, according to the dull and short sound of tray meeting wooden surface, he listened to her reply.

"I have to- I mean, we all have to, since you tried to escape amidst the evacuation. Boy, were you quiet and slippery; if Suzuki didn't come shouting after you, we'd never know you were gone until it was too late".

Garkan sighed once more. _Damnable idiot. I wonder who taught him to haul ass with his mouth._ "You can't blame me for doing so when opportunity presents itself, can you? There are still scums out there", he responded calmly.

Next, he heard the scraping noise of the chair being dragged towards his bed, mixed with the female prison guard's footsteps'. After about four seconds, she spoke:

"You know, although I just get to know you for quite a while now, I think I can never shake the feeling that you sound just like-".

"Amon?". He cut her off a little too quickly.

"Yeah". She halted for a while. "You sound just like him. The only difference is the fact that you resorted to murder".

He immediately gave out a small chuckle, chillingly void of humor. "Amon and I were nothing alike, lady. He was a fool to presume that bending is the root of all evil; he didn't look far enough to see the bigger picture, to understand the mind, and heart, of Man. Bender or no bender, evil roots in every single one of us; but I chose to utilize that evil in me to break others", he started another philosophical lecture.

After that, he halted for effect, and continued:"Now tell me something, Mei". Mei. Only he was allowed to call her that. And it's not a surprise, either, as he was the one whose presence and reputation stopped other inmates from harassing Meifeng the first month she worked here ( not that she was a defenseless young woman, but Meifeng appreciated Garkan being her guardian spirit ). "Have you ever seen all of the crimes of Man in your lifetime? Maybe you have, maybe you haven't; yet my eyes showed me the ugliest truth when I was too young to grasp the concept of Good and Evil. I saw death and defilement in front of me. And the culprit, and the culprit, didn't know how to bend. Needless to say, growing up, I slowly realized that I've witnessed it all, the darkness of Mankind".

Slightly hunching forwards in the fairly dark cell, he kept on speaking, his voice a bit lower than before, seeming like a cat-owl hissing, his eyes open now, lightly studying the young woman's face opposite him, in the shadow:"Nonbenders committing crimes as hideous as benders, the old as greedy as the young, women as despicable as men. Cowardice and betrayal. Lies and deceit. Hypocrisy and pretension. Amon said bending is the cause of every war in every era, but he saw only one half of the truth. Because, isn't there a war inside of us as well? A war between Good and Evil? Lord Zuko used to try to capture the Avatar so as to regain his honor, but then he became one of the Avatar's close friends later on. Also, Lady Ty Lee, a friend of Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, a nonbender, used to accompany the former in her quest for capturing or killing the Avatar; but then, she joined the Kyoshi Warriors in the end. Amon was invalid.

Which begs the question: So maybe I'm like Unalaq? Oh no, I am not. Becoming a giant spirit demon just so one can reshape the world is NOT my strong suit, plain and simple. How about Zaheer or Kuvira, then? Zaheer did commit murder, even though it was just one person; and Kuvira built an empire of dictatorship. Hah, an empire! And she dared say she "learned that the idea of a royal family passing a title from one generation to the next was archaic". Whether she betrayed her husband or not, if she died, someone would have to replace her, right? _Someone with the same ideology as hers._ It's not really that different from "passing a title" now, is it? And the answer to Zaheer is: No. Freedom through chaos is as bullshit an excuse as prosperity through world fire. I didn't seek for freedom, I simply selected the only option available: Being the necessary evil".

"And to think you were once an Equalist, that's scary", Meifeng observed.

The 25-year-old convict snorted. "I find the idea of confronting another Ozai much more terrifying. Trust me, sweetheart, from amid the cesspool of scums, something will rise, something terrible and inhuman, completely devoid of passion and love, having been accumulating so much evil and despicability in the middle of madness, as the Avatar is either busy fighting hypocritical ignoramuses with super skills, or is all over her girlfriend. That's a nightmare which you're preventing me from destroying it".

Upon hearing that, it was the female prison guard's turn to sigh. She replied while standing up from the chair:"I'm sorry, Garkan, you were convicted for a crime you'd committed way before you joined the Equalists. Damnation, even longer than my career now. Therefore, I can't do anything about that. But if it makes you feel better, I'll be with you tonight".

Following this, she put the chair back to its previous position and composedly walked out of the cell. Instantly, Garkan leaned back against the wall; this time, he folded his arms across his chest softly. Once she locked the door one more time, as she'd always done every time she visited her inmate friend, she reminded him:

"Your lunch is getting cold. You should eat now. I've managed to buy you seafood, so you'd better not waste it".

A small smile gradually spread across his lips. _Oh, Meifeng._ However, it soon disappeared in view of the fact that he wanted to tell her one more thing.

"Before you go, love, you need to remember: When the time comes, you should think back to us; it will save your life".

In response to that, his female friend just kept silent, leaving and striding away. And at this moment, solitude came back to him in his separate, preferably unlit prison cell. He was too dangerous to be with other inmates, the kind he called 'scums'. He hadn't even felt guilty after breaking the neck of a convicted nonbending rapist/killer sitting near him, in the cafeteria, as soon as he heard the bastard talking lewdly about his victims, fantasizing about disgusting fetishes involving the violated young girls. He still didn't now. That had happened when he was only 17 ( 166 AG ), and Avatar Korra was just a 13-year-old teenager living a sheltered life in the White Lotus compound down at the South Pole. He didn't really care about the young Avatar at all, but if Old Koha needed him to do some errand when he was free, especially one into the Spirit World, she'd better stay out of his way.


	2. Chapter 1

**Note: Hello, everyone! It's been a long time! Last time I said that I was gonna write a fanfic of the Korrasami comic when June came. However, the release date was moved to July 26th, 2017. And I got it! I got it and I intended to continue, yet last week was so shitty I was mentally tired, again. But no worry, for I'm determined to write this week, so here it is - the long-awaited first chapter of The Legend of Korra: Righteousness! This chapter contains some girl-on-girl action, enjoy or go away :D . I do not own the Legend of Korra. Credits go to the owners and creators of the amazingly awesome show.**

 **Chapter I**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

...

In the Spirit World, time unknown.

Narrator's P.O.V.

After a brief while, Korra, the adored Avatar, daughter of Tonraq - Chief of the Water Tribes - and Senna, and Asami, the young and innovative leader of the no. 1 business conglomerate of Republic City called 'Future Industries', daughter of Hiroshi Sato - the late former Equalist, captain of the industry, and redeemed hero of Republic City, also her girlfriend, stepped out from the third, golden Spirit Portal, dubbed 'the Republic City Portal' or 'Central Portal' by both Republic City officials and citizens, hand-in-hand, lovingly glancing at each other, both wearing their usual gears and carrying a picnic bag on each back, both greeted by the Spirit World's wondrous, mystically majestic and enchantingly colorful landscapes and denizens: A field of strange flowers so red that they looked like they had been painted by an artsy spirit itself; a mountain range of aqua splendidly magnificent, seeming like it was made solely of otherworldly diamonds ( or perhaps it was ); tall and sturdy-looking trees with an organic shade of reddish brown which gave them the impression of having pleasant flesh-like outer layer, all the while still retaining the appearance and, surely, texture of the ones from the material world; a sky with a nice, deep purple tone, a horizon of hospitably pinkish hue, and so many curious clouds of magenta circling around the Portal at a decent speed, as if they were unearthly-yet-solemn dancers honoring the main figure upon the stage that was the spirit energy doorway/pillar which 'helped' its brethren link the two worlds together; and bright blue bird-like, eel-like and fish-like spirits that eagerly came flying and floating forwards to hail the special couple, welcoming them to this spectacularly breathtaking realm - Korra for the umpteenth time ( not really, but still ), and Asami for the first time. All delightfully and gloriously illuminated and embraced by the warm light emitted from the third Portal itself.

"Welcome to the Spirit World", spoke the Avatar excitedly.

"I can't believe I'm actually here". The Avatar's girlfriend was not less excited.

As she looked at a bird-like spirit, giving it her pointing and middle finger as a place for it to perch on, Korra said:

"The Spirit World is a pretty unpredictable place. You never know when the ground might drop right out from under you ( did she just reference her journey into the Spirit World with Jinora back in Book 2? ). So, stay close. I don't want us to get separated".

"Me neither", replied the other young woman gently.

When they reached the highest point of the red flower field, they saw an impressively spacious and multicolored valley surrounded by areas of woods and another mountain range, this time with a mysterious mixture of violet and gray. There was also a river that divided the left part of the valley from a fairly dense wooded area near it. There were all sorts of spirits in this place, from water serpent-like ones to luminescent ones with an umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tendrils ( they are jellyfish-shaped, but there are no jellyfishes in the Avatar universe, so… *shrug* ), not mentioning either a gigantic serpent-like or worm-like spirit that was resting over the left part of the violet/gray mountain range. That, and the dragon-bird spirit, with main golden feathers and tufts of red ones covering the edges of the creature's wings' primaries and secondaries ( two types of flight feather - the former long and narrow, while the latter short and broad ), patches of lighter ( and perhaps softer ) golden feathers along its back, dragon-like horns, long whiskers, scaled underbelly, and a long tail with coloration similar to its wings, that accompanied Korra back during her time in the Spirit World searching for Jinora as they both were lost, who was flying towards the couple as if knowing why they were here, having decided to escort ( or to be their ride, if you want to be technical ) them to wherever they desired to go to. The scene was utterly incredible.

After gasping softly, witnessing more natural wonders of the Spirit World, Asami said:

"So… Where do we start our vacation?".

Winking mischievously, the Avatar replied:"You'll see".

Once the dragon-bird spirit regally landed in front of them, Korra climbed on it first. Next, she extended her right hand towards her girlfriend. Asami quite hesitated.

"Um… Are you sure-".

"Take my hand". The Sato girl's lover smiled brightly.

Smiling back, her heart felt lovingly warm as all of her hesitation disappeared, Asami grasped Korra's hand and let her muscled sweetheart pull her upwards. Once they were ready, Korra voiced animatedly:

"Let's go!".

With a loud _whoosh_ , the chimerical spirit took off and flew away, making Asami gasp aloud with fright, her hurriedly holding on to the young Avatar's waist, causing Korra to laugh mirthfully.

"I thought you were used to traveling with speed?", the Water Tribe Avatar spoke aloud in order for Asami to hear.

"By my Satomobile and a biplane, yeah! But not by riding a spirit bareback!".

Upon hearing that, Korra giggled cheerfully.

"Well, you are my girlfriend now, better get used to some spirit travels! Also, it might help us in time of need in the future, who knows!".

"Oh, you are so gonna get used to me getting you back every time, Korra!".

Korra giggled again. "We'll see!".

Some moments later, the dragon-bird landed upon another field, now that of unbelievably green grass, with huge trees that resembled Giant Leopard Plants functioning as shade providers for small spirits, and small spirit mushrooms growing near the sizable, green plants. After climbing off the creature, both Korra and Asami hugged and petted it, then waved goodbye as it took off again, this time a bit slower, and eventually flew elsewhere, perhaps back to its nest on Hai-Riyo Peak. After that, Korra led Asami towards one of the paths that divided the grass field into many sections, her pointing at the trees and explaining for her girlfriend about their origin and characteristics - which she read from relatively a lot of Tenzin's and the White Lotus' books about the Spirit World back when she'd still been recovering from the Red Lotus' poison. It had been Katara's idea, suggesting Tenzin and the Grand Lotuses to lend Korra volumes to read to accompany and boost her physical rehabilitation, making her desire and endeavor to get back to the state of health and mentality before the poisoning ( or that was what Katara'd thought anyway, because she couldn't even sense the little bit of mercury [ metal, whatever ] inside Korra's body, unlike Toph ) - seeing Asami release utterances of surprise and wonderment, feeling pleased.

A while later, after traveling along the path, the couple arrived at another part of the grass field, one that was filled with immense mushrooms with a massive and dark pink-and-orange cap at the top of each growth, each cap dotted with a fair amount of yellow scales, and a vast, dark grey trunk, them having grown pretty close to each other like a 'community' of spirit fungi. Upon seeing them, Asami's eyes were wide with awe. She had seen the huge, green plants standing on either side of their path earlier, but they looked kind of vulnerably fragile with their slim and tall bodies; however, these mushrooms looked like they could withstand a horrifyingly violent deluge without even being tattered or completely broken. The appearance of the mighty growths was that formidable. Without a word, Korra mischievously propelled her girlfriend up to one of the mushrooms' cap with airbending, giggling playfully once she heard Asami yelp out of startled unpreparedness. Before the young CEO of Future Industries could lightly chide the Avatar for another prank out of nowhere, Korra gracefully airbent herself upwards, a little high above the fungal 'roof' Asami was standing on; then, she landed upon the thing, a few steps apart from her girlfriend. Quickly, she ran forwards while saying:

"Catch me if you can, Ms. Sato!".

Growling competitively and smiling confidently, Asami replied:"Oh, I can! And I will!".

With that, she chased after the Water Tribe young woman, laughing joyously, rushing on and jumping from mushroom cap to mushroom cap, determined to 'capture' the Avatar. And with each 'roof' passing by, Asami was closer and closer to her 'target', her getting more and more excited as an idea had just run through her mind. _I'm gonna tickle her so hard she'll have no choice but to beg me to stop, in tears!_ Nevertheless, because of her focus, Asami didn't realize that she and Korra were approaching what seemed like an inland sea rather than a great lake, which was 'accompanied' by a magnificent and wide shore filled with beautiful rocks and lively spirits; yet Korra did, and upon discerning that fact, she began to slow down until she was near the edge of the last mushroom's cap. Swiftly, she turned around to warn her lover of the change in geology. What she didn't register was the reality that when she'd begun the deceleration, Asami, concentrated on tackling her, resolved to gain speed. Therefore, it was the 21-year-old girl's turn to be surprised as she was finally tackled by her slightly older beloved, Korra subconsciously crying Asami's name aloud.

Hit by reality so suddenly, the former heiress snapped out of her single-mindedness and uttered an "Oh no!" that didn't sound like panic at all, but worry for them both. With quick reflexes of an experienced Avatar, Korra immediately grasped Asami with her right arm, the other, she used to let loose a medium-sized, constant stream of air; all to break their potentially mortal fall. Once they settled upon the surface, sand was splashed around in every direction, causing dust to shoot fairly high upwards and spread everywhere a little bit, startling the spirits that were relaxing peacefully there, making them screech and squeal out loud. As the dust settled, Korra found out that she was on top of Asami, subconsciously staring her in the eyes. _Spirits…_ She thought. _Her eyes are so beautiful._ And truth be told, the light green orbs were indeed alluring. Also, if you already saw Asami's mother - Yasuko - through Hiroshi's pocket family picture, you'd realize that the former heiress' beauty was totally hereditary. Now back to where we were. Right. Korra was on all fours, on top of her lover, and was connecting her soul with Asami's through her pretty eyes. As for the other young woman, she was also staring intensely back into the Avatar's; nonetheless, she'd promised herself that she would 'capture' her 'target', not the other way around. Therefore… Rapidly, hooking her left leg to Korra's right one and her right hand to Korra's neck's right side, she flipped both of them around in one spot, stunning the young Avatar greatly. Now Korra was entirely under her control.

Or so she thought.

Before she could say "I told you I would catch you", Korra's nonplussed expression proved too much. It made Asami want to kiss her, right then and there. And upon seeing that her hair had romantically fallen to either side of her muscled girlfriend's face, the rich girl couldn't be merrier. Inch by inch, her visage was lowered in order for her lips to meet the Water Tribe girl's. Having grasped what was going on, Korra's heart thumped a bit faster then. Her mind was overloaded with the idea of Asami wanting to steal her breath away. _She's going to kiss me! She's going to kiss me! She's going to kiss me! She's going to kiss me! She's going to kiss me! She's going to kiss me!_ And an agonizing eternity later, their lips met for the first time ever, both sighing out of joy and merriment, Korra's arms came to rest on Asami's back, her fingers slowly, then urgently clasping at the fabric of her trademark jacket, unintentionally aiming to ruin it with her strength. Asami didn't mind, though; the sensation was too incredible to be bothered by such insignificant thing. That, plus the feeling of Korra's bulging left bicep on the Avatar's lover's right hand was amazing. As their kiss was about to deepen, Asami halted for a short while, not because she was out of breath, she wanted to say it to her beloved before going further with their intimate relationship.

"I love you, Korra", whispered the longer-haired girl.

Happy beyond belief, the short-haired Avatar, replied, smiling warmly:"I love you too, Asami".

Following that, their lips made contact again, more passionate this time, them oblivious to the curious, amused and gleeful spirits who were gathering to behold the sweet and touching scene. ( and, no, they're not perverts. Okay? )

...

At Cabbage Corp's new HQ, in Prosperity District ( a bridge away from the Golden Tower ), in Republic City, late afternoon.

"No, we will not change into anything! Our primary concerns are still the upgrading of the Cabbage Cars and Cabbage Airships!". Lau Gan-Lan, head of Cabbage Corp, firmly shook his head while still addressing Lau Xiaoli - his first daughter. "Now that the Earth States no longer desire our airships at the courtesy of… Mr. Wu, we have no choice but to find a way to take back our reign in Republic City".

"Pfff. With who, and what, Dad?", Lau Xiaoli replied vehemently, "We don't have any other *genius* here who can outsmart the like of Varrick or… that Sato girl, and they are now working together! Together!". She slammed her fist on Lau Gan-Lan's desk. "Together, Dad. We're outnumbered and outclassed! How in the Spirit World are we gonna compete against them with, what, the Cabbage Cars and Cabbage Airships? After Sato became Republic City's trusted innovator, and most importantly, after all the chaos and destruction caused by Kuvira and her army, Future Industries is now everyone's number one choice for the recovery and rebuilding efforts. Even you had to beg Sato to help Cabbage Corp find another building, this building, to make it a makeshift HQ for this dying corporation!

We are at our wit's end, Dad!".

"But surely you can think of something. I mean, it was you who suggested we show off our new Cabbage Car and Cabbage Airship models to Republic City and the Earth Queen after that Equalist business. You are a genius too!", Lau Gan-Lan attempted to reason with his daughter.

"Oh, you have got to be joking", muttered Lau Xiaoli. Next, she addressed her father again, as impatient as ever:"Look, Dad, you're right about me being a genius. But even a genius knows when everything works against them, and that they can't do a thing about it unless they change. Evolve. We have stuck to cars and airships for a long damn time, and look where it got us. Nowhere! First, we were surpassed by Future Industries, then we looked like a bunch of fools against Varrick Global Industries, and now, you only want to cling to the Merchant's blind and vapid legacy in the face of ruination! You will kill us all".

Upon hearing his daughter speak disrespectfully about his father, the owner of Cabbage Corp immediate stood up from his chair. "Enough! I will hear no further disrespect towards your grandfather. Moreover, he was the progenitor of this company; his vision deserves to be cherished and fulfilled!".

"And his vision is better than the driving force of _biology_?". Her voice instantly became as cold as ice.

Even though he had gotten used to Lau Xiaoli's occasional sudden change of attitude, he always couldn't help but shudder internally. Trying hard to remain composed, he responded:"D-don't talk about such thing. It's not even fully understood!".

"Oh, I say it already was". Her reply was chilling. "While people like you, Hiroshi Sato, Varrick and the Baatar father and son play with metal and machines to the heart's childish merriment, biology has come a _long_ way". Following this, her voice became fervent all of a sudden. "We already had Hagakis ( HArmful OrGAnism KIllers - or antibiotics ). Then, beer and milk products manufactured with the help of neutral organisms. Next, chemical accelerators ( enzymes ) to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting ones. And finally, we currently have performance enhancers ( Nazis' D-IX-like drugs ). These have changed, and will change the world even further with the speed of progress biology is possessing at the moment. Metal and machines will be the _past_ , Dad.

In the future, humans won't need burdensome equipment and machinery, and someday, bending, to build a better world altogether. Everyone will live longer, everyone will be stronger, smarter, more experienced and more understanding than ever. And after that, humans will create more superior things, and become all the _finer_ also. No longer we will fear diseases. No longer we will dread war and be troubled by petty differences. No longer we will rely on unnatural freaks of the past called... benders. And, perhaps, no longer we will cower before Death itself. We - will - truly - be - ONE.

And we are going to be the ones who start it all".

With a shake of the head and a long sigh, Lau Gan-Lan turned around to look out the huge window behind him, out to the southeastern part of Prosperity District and northeastern portion of Yue Bay ( or the end of Suki River [ one of the two rivers 'accompanying' Koi Fish Head Peninsula, upon which situated many of Republic City important landmarks, such as: the Police Headquarters, City Hall and the Pro-Bending Arena, etc... The other, much greater, is Kyoshi River ] ), then spoke, both to himself and to Lau Xiaoli:"I don't know where you got all that from, but it sounds to me like it's something out of fantasy. Unhealthy fantasy. I suggest you stop daydreaming like that and actually lend me a hand to pull Cabbage Corp through this time of difficulty. Or at least follow your sister's example and do useful things. Maybe someday you can even be the Avatar's friend, then she'll be our great ally".

"So you have made up your mind?", his daughter asked casually, her tone flat now.

"Yes, I have. Now I want to be alone for a while. I need to think".

"Very well, Father. You will be alone".

Satisfied that she'd had the last words, Lau Xiaoli turned around and marched out of her father's office room, her steps betrayed no emotion at all. She had enough of giving her useless old man another reason to mentally praise her little sister, behind her back. Upon thinking of Lau Meifeng ( now Han Meifeng - her new identity as a prison guard working inside the Republic City Prison. _Ridiculous_ ), Lau Xiaoli felt bile rise in her throat. _A lover of martial art philosophies, pathetic sympathizer of fools and wicked miscreants, and vain admirer of the Avatar, Sato and their cohort._ Her lips subconsciously turned into a sneer, and then the expression of disgust. How in the world can Father stoop so low as to venerate such a hopeless case of rotten humanity? She doesn't even care about helping Cabbage Corp at all, holding the world above her own family! All for what? "The Avatar's shining example of selflessness?". _By the Spirits, she makes me want to vomit._

 _If one can't change the costly path that their family is traversing at the expense of their forefather's wishes, then how can one expect to change the world?_

And when her train of thoughts halted for a while, Lau Gan-Lan's elder daughter saw that she was inside an elevator, her inner desire prompting her to begin her descent into real progress, a progress that she'd kept secret from her father, and everyone else. Yes, no one even knew about the undisclosed, underground level formerly belonged to the Equalists beneath the commercial building opposite Cabbage Corp's new HQ, and this elevator would bring her to a subterranean platform, which in turn, would lead her to said level - a classified laboratory consisting of dozens of the excellent-minded pursuers of biology from all across the United Republic of Nations, who were very graceful when Lau Xiaoli had approached them and told them that she was recruiting them for "the undeterred advance of biology", as she'd put it, so that their passion wouldn't meet with derision from engineers and architects and the likes. With her charitable overseeing efforts and her partner's guidance, everything was proceeding steadily; steadily, yet slowly. Too slowly for her plan, and for Cabbage Corp's benefit.

Lau Xiaoli had told her partner to make the biologists redouble their endeavors, using any mean necessary. Yet he refused, telling her that that would only frighten these men and women of innovation, and put them under constant stress and fear, which certainly was going to seriously hinder their project, and her plan, as a whole. The young woman had no choice but to back off. However, she grew more and more impatient as time passed. They needed to strike as soon as possible, now that the Avatar had gone to vacation inside the Spirit World with her… girlfriend. Lau Xiaoli had been utterly astounded by the news; notwithstanding, she, then, felt a little proud and happy for the two, for a split second. To be honest with herself, she still felt bitter about Avatar Aang unendingly and unintentionally impeding her grandfather's cabbage business, as much as she disliked him for his limited vision, unable to see past the mechanic wonders of automobiles; then, she continue to experience hostility towards the Sato last name, even though Asami had proven to be different from Hiroshi, and the latter had become a hero, sacrificing himself for Team Avatar and the Beifong Sisters to bring down Kuvira, along with her Colossus.

Routinely, Lau Xiaoli looked around outside to see if there was anyone nearby, then pulled away a metal frame directly beneath the ordinary panel of buttons, the frame smartly concealed so unsuspecting eyes couldn't locate the medium, thin sheet of solid material. Stripped of their deceiving cover, a key slot and the 23-year-old female's group's symbol - the Life Tree ( a tree-shaped amalgam of a heart, muscles, arteries, veins and capillaries; with the heart staying at the center of the 'tree', its trunk a mass of muscles, and its branches and roots two networks of arteries, veins and capillaries ), or Fusang - were exposed, the former conspiratory, yet ordinary-looking, while the latter grim and gnarled, yet proud and impartial. Next, she got out a key from her corporate jacket's inner pocket, slotted the small, metal device home and turned it, activating the big compartment's automated function and let it ride her to its destination. Once the elevator began to move, she nonchalantly put the frame back to where it had been, and waited.

Of course, when she reached the laboratory, she would see for herself how much further the project had gone since her last visit ( which was a week and a half before, almost four weeks after Kuvira's assault on Republic City ). After that, she would personally have a word with Hong Changming, head of the research biologists. In the meantime, she should relax and forget the confrontation between her and her father; the _last_ one, as she now realized. Soon, she will become the owner of Cabbage Corp. Following that, she might have to change the company's name, since it sounded incredibly embarrassing as it was, to her at least.

A few minutes later, the elevator door opened, revealing a great tunnel. There was the platform, a few feet from the elevator. Unimpressive, save for its size, with only white paint and protective railings to decorate it. Calmly, Lau Xiaoli exited the big compartment, striding forwards on a metal floor about 9 feet long and 7 feet wide, to step onto the platform. Following that, she interacted with another panel, this time much simpler, with another key slot and only two buttons: Forward and Backward ( with arrows ). As she finished, the platform moved, carrying her closer and closer to the laboratory. Later, the moving machine arrived at the end of the line, and the young woman stepped off, onto a catwalk, which led to an immense, but short corridor, all painted with a dull, institutional white, the same color that she had seen before. Even the tiled floor was white too. Apart from that, there was entirely no other methods of decoration. There were only three lightbulbs on the ceiling, each attached to a shade, as the bulbs themselves were separately connected to a considerably extended core snaking its way into the milky-colored ceiling. Such was the height of this subterranean corridor. At the end of the passageway, there was a huge blast door made wholly out of platinum; next to it, on the left, was a wall-mounted microphone ( which looks like a Shure SM57 ) close to a loudspeaker, also wall-mounted. Stopping before the two electronic devices, Lau Xiaoli activated the microphone by pushing at the activation slide; following this, she spoke simply into the windscreen:

"There is a pursuer at the gate".

Immediately, a voice crackled through the loudspeaker:"And what is your name, and what is the subject of your pursuit?".

"I am Lau Xiaoli, and I pursue the study of life and change, and of improvement of the body instead of metal and machines", Lau Xiaoli replied.

After a brief halt, the voice from the loudspeaker acknowledge her with regard:"Welcome back, Ms. Lau. We're joyful that you're here".

"As am I", responded lightly the young woman, nodding towards the loudspeaker, despite the fact that the laboratory guard had no mean to see her.

Shortly later, the blast door was unlocked and opened, giving Lau Gan-Lan's daughter access to the interior of the laboratory - a super spacious chamber containing a great amount of scientific equipment and machines of all kinds. There was a raised floor, on the left, with a huge radio lying upon a great table, where two guards were presently sitting, their job was to engage anyone talking to them via the microphone, and determine whether the individual(s) was familiar with the personnel working here or not by using cold reading ( like, real life, not by earthbending ), picking them apart via tone of voice, manner of speech, breathing, etc… Upon seeing Lau Xiaoli, the guards stood up and gave her a quick, yet respectful bow, and in turn, the heiress nodded back just as respectfully. As she continued to stroll onwards, she politely greeted each and every biologist she saw on the way, earning smiles from them; some friendly, some mannerly, and some… nervous.

When she was near the end of the huge chamber, a figure in an almost ancient, red outfit, like that of a secret society, who was also wearing metal shoulder plates and wrist protectors. His hair was long, jet black, and unbound; and his face was… hard to describe, as the upper part ( including the eyes ) and left side of his visage were covered by a masking plate, revealing only the right side. However, one could guess that he came from the former Earth Kingdom since his skin was light brown. Once they were a foot away from one another, the man said:

"Ah, Lau Xiaoli, my esteemed partner. Welcome back to Xikang".

"Your sarcasm is duly noted, Temur", upon detecting a hint of sarcasm in his voice, the heiress swiftly countered. Then, she moved on. "Now tell me about how close we are to completion".

"Very, really, my dear". Temur smirked from behind his masking plate.

"How close?", the younger, female speaker repeated the question, steel in her voice.

"Only one or two days away".

Lau Xiaoli was annoyed by that. "One or two days away. Well, I'm sure while you're busy working as hard as a power plant worker, the Avatar and her... girlfriend will have been done with their vacation by then. Do you know what that means, Temur?".

Without even letting her older partner answer her question, the young woman speedily slipped into a rant:"That means we will miss our one chance to have the upper hand against the Avatar and Sato, and we will fall behind on our schedule, while our enemy is getting stronger and stronger as the Avatar and Sato's relationship develops, and it's getting longer and longer for my father to... step aside. And in the end, Cabbage Corp will collapse under its own weight, and our primary source of funding for future campaigns will be gone!".

The third generation of the Lau geniuses halted, acutely aware of startled eyes on her. Following that, she lowered her voice. "First, I witnessed the rise of Future Industries; then, I felt Cabbage Corp being threatened by Varrick Global Industries; after that, I could almost taste the fall of my grandfather's legacy with Hiroshi planting evidence on my father; and now, and now that moron Wu sabotages the last leg of this once glorious corporation, making me dread the inevitable downfall every second of every minute of every day. If we don't finish our project soon, we will pay for our indolence. And I will die with just two empty hands".

Temur sighed. "That sounds tremendously unfortunate for you", he spoke, after several seconds of silence. Shortly later, he came to put a hand on her shoulder. "But you should be untroubled, that from your misfortune, fate smiled upon you. For you have gained an ally. And not just any ally, Xiaoli; you have gained my allegiance, now that Zaheer is back to where he belongs, and that the Red Lotus is rightfully mine at last", he whispered, his voice a caress of reassurance.

"With your brilliance in understanding biology, and the renewed strength of the Red Lotus, we will surely help the world evolve forever. There won't be nations of any kind, organizations hellbent on plotting schemes, and corporations using their own collective entities to fabricate fronts for dark intents. Everything, and everybody, shall be _one_ ; be one, with the Tree of Life. Then, we will thrive under its new guidance, its fleshly benevolence, upon the Earth made new. Wars and conflicts shall fade into nothingness. Jealousy and anger shall be invalid. Pain and suffering shall be extinct. And death... death shall bow before us. Just as all shall bow before the Vessel of Eternal Life...".

With that, Temur turned around and looked at the massive amniotic tank situated at the center of the wall its apparatuses were hooked into and its cables connected to advanced-natured machines, which helped stabilize something within the vast, glass container, created by some of Kuvira's engineers, whose death had been faked by the Red Lotus in order to be taken here to work for Hong Changming, causing Lau Xiaoli to follow suit. And upon looking at the giant floating amid the transparent liquid/chemical inside the tank, the first ever human clone in human history, the young woman was reminded of Temur's new motto for the Red Lotus in particular, and for Xikang in general.

 _LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!_

 **Note 2: Just correcting some stuff.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Note: This chapter contains detailed smut action ( not girl-on-girl just yet. Be patient, my padawans :) ). I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter II**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

...

In the Spirit World, time unknown.

Narrator's P.O.V.

After the passionate, yet rare session of intimate affection between the Avatar and the CEO of Future Industries, which had managed to greatly surprise and amuse and gladden the spirits around the unnamed inland sea, the special couple discovered that they had garnered quite an audience, and Korra, then, blushed a shade of deep red like never before, acting awkwardly, struggling to explain to the 'onlookers' what they was doing; only for Asami to step in and gently apologize the 'crowd' for disturbing their peace and quiet, telling them that they were currently in the Spirit World for a vacation, and that this was the chance for them to be close to one another after what had previously transpired in the material realm. Next, the Sato girl lightly asked the spirits to allow the young Avatar and her to spend time at the 'lake' in peace.

Shortly later, she and Korra bowed slightly and respectfully.

In response, the otherworldly, yet friendly creatures accepted the pair's wish, some excitedly congratulated them, expressing merriment and joy, some politely sent them wishes for a bright future, and some softly warned them to be careful not to be too enthusiastic, as some spirits still didn't like humans, much less seeing two lovers of the same sex together. Following that, the ethereal-but-not-really beings slowly vanished ( or moved away ), giving Korra and Asami the privacy they deserved. And then, they looked at each other in the eyes, grinning mischievously towards one another. It was time for a swim!

And with that, they hurriedly placed their picnic bags down on the ground and stripped to their traditional bindings and underwear respectively, occasionally admiring their beloved's eye-pleasing skin and lovely curves ( and mouth-watering muscles ;) ). After that, they held hands and dashed for the water, paddling ever outwards side by side, giggling and laughing with delight, like a twosome of kids in two separate mature bodies. And as if they both could read the thought inside the other's mind, they simultaneously dove beneath the surface of the 'lake', swimming past majestically beautiful spirit-fishes ( there was different schools of species of fish floating about ) and other marine creatures close by, spotting clusters of thick, tall, but delicate, and brightly yellow-and-purple seaweeds lightly rippling back and forth gracefully as though they were dancing, underwater. With each time they resurfaced to gather air for their lungs, they had another chance to explore the bottom of the inland sea, marveling at a myriad of strange, unique and unusual crustacean-like things, sea reptiles ( sea turtle-shaped, sea snake-shaped, etc… ), rays, sea spiders, and more.

And in-between the periods of exploration, the couple took some breaks, got up to the shore, in order to rest, admire the magnificently mystical sky, and to enjoy each other's company; sometimes Korra sitting behind Asami, warmly hugging her nonbending girlfriend while appreciating the rich girl's soft-yet-somewhat-taut skin, sometimes Asami being on either side of the Avatar, her hand holding the younger girl's as her other's fingers playfully tracing the length of her muscular lover's back, causing the other young woman to sigh merrily, and sometimes they just lay down, casually talking about whatever new things they'd seen/found out back under the water, looking at one another meaningfully in the eyes from time to time. Or sometimes, one of them gleefully chased after the other along the wet part of the shore, after playing a prank on her unsuspecting partner, that is. And the one who got caught would be tickled to tears, only for both to stop and to silently relish their amorous closeness now and again, as though freshly reminded that they were finally in love. However, once they were too tired to submerge again, they dried themselves by using both towels and waterbending ( Asami:"So, I guess this is one of the perks of dating the Avatar: Drying with waterbending" - Korra:"Not only that, but also you get to see two versions of the Avatar almost instantly: Wet, gleaming with muscles; and dry, still dazzling with muscles!" *Flexing like a dork while Asami chuckling cutely* ), and put their clothes back on.

Then, Asami took out her picnic blanket, spreading it and placing it upon the grass near the shoreline, so the duo could sit down close to each other, without having something crawl into their pants. Following this, Asami rested her head on Korra's right shoulder, all the while gently grasping her beloved's right arm with both hands ( one on the hand, one on the bicep *wink wink* ), them both letting silence do the talking. As for Korra, well, she let her skin do the talking once she felt Asami absently brush her left cheek against the front of her shoulder.

Some time later, upon seeing that the sky was darkening a little bit, not because of someone's negative emotions, but because it was approaching night time, which was a little different in the Spirit World, the two lovers chose to gather some fallen spirit twigs and branches and build a fire to pass the night, having dinner, witnessing awesomely majestic displays of colors and phenomena in the spiritual empyrean, and finally going to sleep together as a happy couple. The next day, they woke up, had a little swim in the lake, had breakfast, then gathered stuff and left to visit the other places in this realm. About two days later, as they were striding, Korra saw a pretty huge tor ( great, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest ) situated to their right, her steps slowing down, and an idea formed inside her head.

"Hey, Asami, look!", Korra called out to her girlfriend.

As Asami turned around, Korra pointed at the vast rock formation, then looked back at her, a beaming smile reposed on her face. "You thinking what I'm thinking?".

Quickly catching on to what the Avatar was suggesting, the former heiress grinned. "Race you to the top!".

So, they began climbing, and to Korra's small surprise, her girlfriend nimbly ascended the ragged surface of the tor's side like she was born for such activity. Not to be outdone, though, the young Avatar started using her strength and muscles to clamber up, willing herself to surpass Asami; however, it was the other woman's rock-climbing experience from when she'd been a pre-teen between 10 and 12-years-old, that was the true factor resulting in her 'success'. On the subject of the young Avatar, to say she didn't know _how_ to properly climb something as simple as a tor, is to present the understatement of this innovatively and mechanically prosperous era. Obviously, being held inside the White Lotus compound for most of her earlier life had made Korra not only have no basic ground concepts about social interaction and social dynamic between social classes, but also have no idea what the outside world was like, unable to experience both the environmental and human wonders and tragedies alike, unlike her predecessors, especially Avatar Aang. Therefore, you can clearly imagine just how foreign the magnificent scenery and scale of Nature on the other lands, to Korra, was, let alone grasping whatever the Spirit World rock-climbing was.

( "So? In our world, there were, and are, people who climb the Arctic mountains and the Himalayas too!", immediately say you. And I agree with that. Nonetheless, I don't think Tonraq and the White Lotus would want Korra to go so far as to explore those frosty mountains, _even_ with an escort team led by Tonraq himself, what with the danger the Red Lotus posed even after Zaheer and his team were imprisoned, having failed to kidnap the kid Avatar. I mean, Tonraq is NOT the crazy risky type, like somebody… ;) )

Anyway, back to the business at hand. As the couple was gaining towards the top, Asami turned to tease her lover.

"Looking a little slow, Avatar!".

Breathing heavily out of exertion, the Southern Water Tribe girl spoke with slight frustration:"I'm going easy on you!".

Then, suddenly, the whole tor rumbled.

"Whoa!", Korra exclaimed.

"Wh-what's happening?".

Following that, a thunderous voice boomed.

"Who dares climb upon me?".

As realization hit the duo, they saw that they had been scrambling up a rock spirit's back all along!

"I'm sorry, noble spirit! We didn't realize-", Korra started.

Notwithstanding, her explanation was cut short by the greatly annoyed spirit.

"I should've known. Pesky humans!".

Quickly, the huge creature grabbed both Korra and Asami by the fabric of their clothes with its massive pointing finger and thumb, moving them off its back; all the while, Korra swiftly countered:

"I'm not pesky. I'm the Avatar!".

To which, the thing grumbled:"Even worse! I didn't complain when you kept the _Northern_ and _Southern_ Portals open…

… but creating a new one has gone too far. The human and spirit worlds should have remained _separate_ ".

Upon hearing that, the young Avatar's voice became a bit meek, like a child being called out by an adult for doing something mischievous. "The new portal was kind of an _accident-_ ".

But the rock spirit would have none of it.

"Leave my realm and never return!".

The instantaneous act of throwing away the mortals caused the two humans, one totally inconsequential, the other a little… important, to scream aloud in fright.

"Korra!", cried out Asami.

"Hang on! I got you!", the young Avatar replied with determination.

Next, she used airbending to keep her girlfriend and herself from crashing nastily upon the ground, letting the constant currents of air lower them towards the surface like an invisible elevator. However, because she cared too much about Asami, Korra also created some kind of an air cocoon to make sure that not even a pebble could hurt her beloved. Nonetheless, she had to be certain, she needed to know that the second important person in her life was alright.

"Asami!", she called out to her lover, "Are you okay? Talk to me!".

And when the older girl sat up, spitting out a single grass blade, the Water Tribe girl heaved a sigh of relief. Following this, she sat in an upright kneeling position similar to a seiza ( one of the traditional formal ways of sitting in Japan ), her head down, eyes closed, slightly disappointed.

"What a disaster...", she spoke, "I wanted our first big getaway to be _perfect_ , not almost get us _killed_. I'm sorry".

Asami only smiled gently. "We've been through a lot worse together. And I'm not going to let one disgruntled spirit ruin all the fun we had. You shouldn't either", she responded, brushing off dust on her right sleeve.

"You're right", conceded the Avatar.

After that, Asami stood up, walked over to where her girlfriend was still sitting to offer her hand. As Korra grasped the hand to be pulled up, the former heiress said:

"But unfortunately, we lost all our supplies, so we should probably think about heading back to the city".

"Sure...", replied the younger girl dejectedly.

Upon seeing that the Avatar was quite sad, it was the rich girl's turn to have an idea.

"Before we go, there's one last thing I want to do on our vacation", she said.

Instantly realizing what her girlfriend meant, the young Avatar blushed, not out of embarrassment, but strong love for the other girl standing directly in front of her, looking her affectionately straight in the eyes. After that, they kissed again, softly at first; then, the connection began to get passionate 'til Asami decided to make one bold move: She suddenly slipped her tongue right in between Korra's dark lips, stunning the spirits out of the Water Tribe gal! Before the dark-skinned young woman could lightly push her lover away to inquire about this new experience, the older female held onto her beloved and sucked gently on the tongue, helping the Avatar get used to this wonderful sensation. And before long, Korra melted, sighing and moaning gladly, her hands snaking their way along Asami's back, gradually forming a sweet and ardent embrace.

A short while later, their lips broke contact, the girl who could control the four elements faintly trembling, hot-bloodedly dazed, her breath fairly quick, and her partner looking the same ( without the trembling, of course ), spotting a satisfactory smile. Subsequently, Korra spoke:

"That was… fresh".

That made Asami laugh softly. "Did you like it?".

"Y-yeah! I mean, I don't know what to think, but it was really nice, though. Where did you learn how to do THAT?".

"That's a secret whose reveal you have to earn, Avatar". The former heiress winked.

"So that's a challenge I'm smelling, Ms. Sato?", teased Korra.

"Indeed, Avatar Korra".

Next, the couple burst out laughing with mirth. Afterwards, they looked one another in the eyes again, holding hands once more. Korra commented:

"This has been a wonderful few days".

Asami fully agreed as she 'kissed' the Avatar's nose with hers. "The best".

A while later, as they were walking on one of the banks of a river, which kept two forests apart, Korra started talking about the first time she and Asami bonded with each other, back in Republic City, just a few days since the young Avatar'd arrived at the capital of the United Republic of Nations.

"Remember when we first met, and you took me racecar driving?".

"I remember how terrified you were", Asami replied casually.

To which the Avatar responded hastily:"Was not!".

Then, she continued:"Anyway… What _I_ remember the most was how relieved I felt".

"Relieved?". The other young woman was a bit puzzled.

Korra sighed slightly. "Yeah. My whole life, I was always told I was too wild, too emotional, too _intense_. But it turned out you could be just as intense as me.

I've never had anyone in my life who got me the way you do".

"The three years you were gone were the longest of my life". It was the girl in the Future Industries jacket's turn to confess. "I think that's when I realized how much you meant to me. I almost told you in one of my letters".

"Why didn't you?". Korra wanted to know.

"You'd already been away for so long… I guess I was scared if you didn't feel the same way, then maybe you'd _never_ come back", explained Asami with a bit of sadness on her face. After that, she asked Korra:"How about you? When did you know how you felt?".

"After I was poisoned… You were there for me when I couldn't even be there for myself". Korra halted, an edge of vexation appeared upon her handsome visage. "But I was so messed up then. My mind was in a million different places. I didn't know whether how I felt about you was real or not. Yet it wasn't an accident that you were the only one I wrote to when I was gone".

Upon hearing all that, Asami turned and placed her right hand on her girlfriend's muscled left shoulder. "I'm glad you did", she replied simply.

Then, they heard the pleasant call of the dragon-bird, gradually approaching them from the sky, its fiery shape like living fire carved into a great, mysteriously animated picture that was the orange yonder, filled with golden clouds of regal majesty, which prompted the Avatar to utter:"Looks like our ride's here". Shortly later, the seemingly blazing creature landed before the duo, its haunches and wings lowered, and its eyes viewing the two expectantly, as if to offer the young Avatar and the CEO of Future Industries to take them back to the third portal. Fascinated and curious by the being's ability to locate them wherever they were in the Spirit World, Asami wondered aloud:

"How does this dragon-bird keep knowing where to find us?".

"I think it can sense where I am. Not _every_ spirit hates me".

Next, out of courtesy, the Water Tribe Avatar provided the intertwined palms of her hands as an organic stirrup for the rich gal to climb upon the dragon-bird. While the older girl was mounting the creature, she spoke:

"I wish we could stay longer. Once we're back in the city, I doubt we'll have a moment to rest".

Not really wanting their vacation to end, Korra said:"Maybe our vacation doesn't have to end just yet…".

Quickly, she whispered into the dragon-bird's right ear ( which is hidden by feathers, by the way ). Quite confused, Korra's whitish-complexioned lover inquired:

"What do you mean? Korra, where are we going?".

"It's a surprise". The Avatar only smiled.

Once the flying chimera was reaching a plain where the other two portals and the Tree of Time were, did recognition struck Asami.

"Wait, these portals won't take us back to Republic City", she uttered with bewilderment.

And as Korra excitedly climbed down from the dragon-bird, she responded:"I thought we could visit my parents before we head back".

Asami was astonished. "Your parents?".

"Yeah. Is something the matter?".

Asami hesitated. "It's just… I mean, they're great, but I don't know if-".

Korra chuckled. "It'll be fine! They're going to be thrilled when we tell them about us. Come on!".

With that, the couple jumped off the flame-colored spirit, waving goodbye, watching it take off for a short while; then, they began walking towards the portal that would lead them to the Southern Water Tribe.

...

Inside the Republic City Prison, three days and almost three nights since Korra and Asami had gone on a vacation into the Spirit World.

*Smut scene begins*

Garkan struggled not to groan aloud as Han Meifeng rode him passionately, his hands lightly grabbing her hips, absent-mindedly encouraging her to do it harder and faster, him not forgetting to thrust upwards to meet with her butt, the impact creating such arousing noises that sounded completely obscene and vulgar to a strict soul if these two were to live in a house with someone else; her loins extremely wet from the incredible sensation of intercourse, that, and her umpteenth time at the mercy of Garkan's excellent foreplay skills ( yeah, he's a fast learner ), earlier that night; sweat was already coating the two lust-filled bodies, suggesting that they had been having sex for quite a while.

Even though they were sexually involved with each other for some time ( a few days after the invasion of Republic City ), Garkan still marveled at the sensual and erotic feeling of being very close to a female, his mind subconsciously going back to the moments of either Meifeng touching his skin tenderly or him running his hands along the length of her body, the memories of her scent, her husky voice, the softness of her lips and the texture of her smooth skin being brought back to most of his senses, making him realize how new he still was to intercourse despite all the quick learning and understanding of sexual contact.

The same could be said for the concept of love.

Of course, not that love is too alien to someone like Garkan, as he had parents just like anyone else, minus some like Mako and Bolin, obviously, or used to anyway. The former Equalist's parents had been the world to him, both loving him utterly and devoting most of their time to pass down as much of their wisdom and education as possible to him; so, there should have been no reason for Garkan to not know what love was. But sadly, that reason existed, and it was why his parents could no longer be with him. However, the true path he chose had more to do with this rather tragic devolution than the fact that his father and mother were simply gone. Yes, a path which saw to it that Garkan became a murderer, a harbinger of death upon the wicked and the deceivers. So cold, so ruthless. His eyes two deathly orbs of organically hellish mirrors, which reflected the horror of his victims once they knew inevitable perishment had finally caught up with them, be it because of this logic or that.

Indeed, so cold, so ruthless, that with his stare only, he was able to shoot down any carnal feeling or romantic attachment the vile's sufferers might develop towards him. Any and all but one. Meifeng. Perhaps it was Old Koha's sentiments rubbing off on him, seeing as it was the old man who took Garkan under his wings. And Koha, 'til the end, was his parents' best friend, evidently. Garkan still remembered what Koha used to tell him when he was a teenager.

"Passion is the way of life, Garkan. Never forget that. Without it, your spirit can't even inspire your body to live a meaningful life, much less to achieve something as paramount as the invention of Hagakis ( HArmful OrGAnism KIllers ). Naturally, you don't need to sympathize with evil's victims; notwithstanding, at least show them the decency of a human being, call the police, bring them home, or even provide them shelter when it's not time to let them reunite with their loved ones. We are the opposite of the Avatar, doesn't mean we shouldn't learn a thing or two from them. After all, our goal is the same as the Servant of the Balance, the only difference is the fact that _we_ are willing to get our hands dirty".

Maybe that was why Garkan had been successful in keeping the crooked inmates from overwhelming and raping Meifeng. Maybe that was why he'd decided to open himself a bit to the young woman as she swiftly considered him a fair acquaintance, while he'd failed to do just that to others in the past, mainly because his parents plainly hadn't had the opportunity to tell him about love other than family love, which led to him not knowing what to expect from the opposite sex. Just like the teenage Lord Zuko ( well, I'm not saying that Zuko didn't know exactly what to do with Mai, but you know what I meant ). Now this gets interesting. Both Garkan and Zuko had family from the beginning, only to lose it bitterly, then only to find it again through another parental figure. Both Koha and the Dragon of The West loved their respective 'child' unconditionally, even though the former saw his relationship with Garkan parallel to teacher/student, and both valued passion and happiness. Yet Garkan's was a greater tragedy than Zuko's would ever be, for Garkan was infected with one of if not the most dangerous emotion of all time: Hate.

And in this regard, Garkan is quite similar to Hiroshi Sato than you'll be willing to admit. Hiroshi lost his wife to a firebender, or 'benders in general'; meanwhile, Garkan lost his parents to benders as well. Both was consumed by hate. Hiroshi, to the point of even thinking of killing his own _daughter_ ; Garkan, to the point of _gladly_ torturing criminals 'til death became the only way out for them. Hiroshi's rage at his daughter's 'betrayal' was shocking; nonetheless, Garkan's thin smile of inhuman satisfaction was bone-chilling. A human abomination.

And here he was, letting Meifeng ride him to her heart's merriment.

For all one knows, Garkan could still be human. Yet his loss and embrace of hate were just too monstrous for love to exist within him. But lust was already igniting his being, so another total, ice-cold psychopath had never been made here. Well, he'd committed murder so many times before, yet with his purpose, combined with his complex mentality, it'd be more fitting to call him an anti-

A moan of pleasure near his left ear suddenly cut off his train of thoughts. Once his mind focused again, he realized that Meifeng had stopped riding him, her manageable weight sunk upon him, her breasts pressed tightly and sensually against his bare chest, her hot, ragged breath, like that of a spirit of fire, brushed the left side of his neck with tired satisfaction, while her left hand, her fingers interlacing with their male, right counterparts, squeezing his hard, causing him to chuckle inwardly at her "cute", subsconscious feat of strength from intense climax. Because of the conclusion of the intercourse on Meifeng's part, Garkan's cock nearly slid out of her butthole, the head of his manhood still inside the now partially constricting opening. As usual, Meifeng had 'managed' to have an orgasm way before Garkan despite the incredible tightness of her anal orifice; for the young woman's anus was pretty sensitive, the moment it got used to intrusion, of course. However, as she was a willing individual, the second daughter of the head of Cabbage Corp determined to improve her stamina, always practicing privately with cucumbers, and sometimes, with Garkan's own impressive, thick 9'' shaft, in order for her to "have more fun" with either riding him or being humped by him.

On the subject of the former Equalist himself, seeing that he was still new to sexual intercourse, plus the fact that he had been pretty much of a frigid soul growing up, it usually took Garkan quite a time to climax; and in this case, coupled with his thought train, no wonder he hadn't even shot his semen deep inside Meifeng's rear passage at all, just like the night before, and their coupling a few nights before that, and before that, etc... This was counted as a blessing by Meifeng, naturally, for Garkan was her first time in all her life. Even though they were not boyfriend and girlfriend, the young woman appreciated the reality of being very close to someone she considered outright amiable in such a harsh place, in a unique way, clearly.

Still aroused, sniffing the sweat from the young man's neck, Meifeng spoke in a raspy, slightly discontinuous voice:

"You are... really intoxicating, you... know that?".

The response was soft. "And you are one of a kind, Meifeng".

"I try my best". The female prison guard grinned in the dark.

"Then try not to be loud this time, eh?".

Gently, yet firmly, grabbing her left shoulder, Garkan gradually turned his partner around in one spot, her still lying on top of him. Next, he pushed her down a bit in order to line her second hole up with his big rod, making Meifeng feel really excited now. This was one of her favorite positions ( known as the Double Decker in our world ;) ) from the Book of Carnal Desires ( author unknown ), which she had told Garkan about. Before entering her, the convict asked:

"Ready?".

"Rock me 'til I see stars in this darkness, big boy".

With that, Garkan was inside her in an instant, causing Meifeng to let out an uncontrolled gasp of lust. Then, the young man placed his hands on the female guard's midriff, only for her to pluck them away and put upon her round, medium-sized bosoms, her fingers instructing his to play with her sentitve nipples. Shortly later, Garkan began pounding her butt, his thrust slow at first but soon became fast and hard, driving balls deep into the young woman's bowels, retreating 'til the head of his manhood remained inside, and then going back in in a smooth fashion, prompting her to groan again, yet she immediately silenced herself just so she wouldn't wake those who were sleeping in nearby cells of the solitary confinement wing. It was a mighty struggle, seeing as Meifeng loved the feeling of being impaled by her partner's amazing shaft, that and the sensation of her nipples being played and teased mercilessly by Garkan's skillful fingers. It was also a challenge, a torture ( sort of ), that Lau Xiaoli's younger sister relished with zest.

Personally, she would love to have Garkan lying with her on her bed, in her own apartment, and screwing the breath out of her, her shouting at the top of her lungs as wave after wave of pleasurable sensations assaulted her mind like crazy, and as her consciousness recognized her wanton need to being healthily dominated by a male she loved- no, liked! By the male she liked! Perhaps she had a crush on Garkan despite him being a murderer. Perhaps in spite of his notorious past, him saving her from a crowd of despicable inmates allowed her to develop some feelings towards him, to long for staying near him. Perhaps he'd already known, yet let her show him her restrained affection anyway; and their nights of sexual intercourse were his way of acknowledge that without being forced to tell her that love was strange to him all the same.

Nevertheless, his thrusting still went on and on and on and on, his balls slapping against her hard, heightening their shared experience even further, his tireless fingers still kneading, pulling, and circling her nipples, prompting her to let out low moans, now that she was halfway there. The onslaught of delight was surely building up forwards to a great release. Deciding to surprise Meifeng a little, Garkan used his teeth and tongue to assail her right earlobe, helix and earhole. The young woman shivered.

"Oh- Garkan- If... you do... that, I'll... Oh! I'll come!", she struggled to speak amid the sea of sensations.

Garkan chuckled, sending vibration all over her ear. Nonetheless, he knew he was close too. "Don't you want... to come, lovely? I'm... nearly there".

"Just... a bit- longer, please. I need- Oh, spirits! I need more time!".

"You are... too greedy, Meifeng... No wonder you... visit me almost... frequently". Garkan started quickening his pace and hardening his thrusts more and more.

"Y-yes! I'm greedy... for you. I'm always- Goodness, I love this... You're making me... feel so good!".

"Then... let's come together, Meifeng. Help me... fill your second canal with my seed".

And that was it. Meifeng swiftly sat up to bounce up and down, up and down, wanting to receive the hot, plentiful semen deep within her bowels, in tune with the young man's upward thrusts, her never stopping the low moaning and groaning with her eyes wide shut, her mouth hanging open, saliva running out from its left corner, giving her face a wild look had it been daytime instead. The coupling got more and more intense for several more minutes. After that, feeling the climax approaching, the female prison guard said:

"I-I'm coming, Garkan! I'm... coming. I can't hold it any longer!".

"Me too, Meifeng... I'm feeling it to- Ahhhh!".

Saying no more, Garkan's cock erupted, filling the young woman's anus just about to the brim with his semen, and Meifeng climaxed, both of them groaning in utter pleasure. After a short while, the female crashed down upon her partner, him quickly using the remaining amount of his strength left to catch her. Following that, he turned the two of them into the spoon position, occasionally pressing his crotch against Meifeng's butt, causing his length to inch a little deeper into her, making her sigh and purr with approval, his arms wrapping around her slender waist tenderly, only for her to grasp one of his hand and interweave her fingers with his. He might not feel the same as her, but Meifeng would be damned if she didn't want to display her affection towards him. Even if he pretended he liked it, he deserved it. Fortunately for her, he squeezed her hand lightly, apparently being fine with it. Meifeng felt warm inside, closed her eyes, and dripped off to sleep.

*Smut scene ends*

...

City of Fire Splendor, formerly Fire Fountain City, Fire Nation, near midnight.

Among the venerable and prosperous houses, and infrastructure, that helped the city develop its economically and domestically improved environmental and societal aspects, stood a small and simple-decorated manor; which belonged to an adept of modern science, who used to be a stranger to the inhabitants of the properly industrialized metropolis, that had been and was still flourishing under Fire Lord Zuko's, and now Fire Lord Izumi's, reign, but now a renowned doctor, historian, psychologist, chemist and biologist; that, even though was associated with the man's fame, had been envisioned and built through thoughtful, responsible and meticulous means. And right at this moment, inside the manor, within his fairly advanced, small and secret laboratory, also the inner sanctum, the old adept, his name was Koha, was tinkering with his newest chemical experiment; and just like every other one, no one knew about the true purposes behind such an activity, not even the greatest of his assistants ( actually his bodyguard - a female firebending prodigy. Nonetheless, Koha's reason is that everyone close to him [ just three, really ] is a natural assistant in one form or another, whether they like it or not ), save for the two young men who gave assistance to the aged expert; yet he was not truly focused like he usually did during the course of the procedures.

He was worried.

Yes, he was worried about another development in the material world prior to the new sensation of the knowledge of the Avatar being the girlfriend of the CEO of Future Industries, and that was a sudden-yet-slight spike in the spiritual energy readings from his Spiritual Energy Detectors secretly placed near the three Spirit Portals ( with the third one planted about two weeks after the formation of the Third Spirit Portal, by none other than his first assistant - a Republic City youth with Northern Water Tribe blood named Hanta ), indicating that there was a fair amount of spiritual energy ever-so-slowly building up somewhere inside the Spirit World, and that it had been doing so for two years and a quarter now; so slowly that it took the Detectors more than twenty-four months to be able to catch it. That, and the fact that there was this piece of ancient and horrifying history which spoke of the return of a Figure who would bring about the happenstance of an ambiguous thing, be it an event, an anomaly or something else entirely dissimilar, in "an era of general prosperity", and which might be _true_. However, Soru Arai, Koha's second assistant - another Republic City youth, but with Fire Nation descent - outright rejected it. He refused to believe that there was another unclear terror within the Spirit World, one that could equal Vaatu in term of being a sinister threat posed to Mankind.

Furthermore, he argued that the bit about the non-descriptive 'Figure' hinting at them being some kind of a dark prophet was annoyingly ridiculous, and deliriously fanatical even.

"I find the notion of having a cult worshiping some horribly ancient and forgotten spirit absurd, though I know the world has witnessed the great peril of extinction through the form of a giant, humanoid eldritch abomination. I mean, Unalaq's forces were NOT similar to a cult, and even though he became the Dark Avatar, he was NOT a dark prophet in any way. He preached about balance and spirituality, but he only cared about himself. A dark/normal prophet would sacrifice themself, becoming a martyr, in order to herald a new age ruled by their respective... deity. Throughout Man's history, none had attempted to do this, not even one like Fire Lord Ozai, and no one else shall. With that said, I believe this is just another of the unknown phenomena originated from inside the Spirit World; not that we should do nothing. We should be attentive and ready, yes; but worried, no".

While Hanta had found that kind of thinking was a little ignorant and short-sighted, for there was an unspoken rule in the scientific community, and that was if you are an individual of science, you have to remain open to millions of possibilities and outcomes in the universe, including ones from unlikely sources such as spirituality and faith, Soru did have a point. The ancients were superstitious, and sometimes, zealous, too zealous for Mankind's benefit; after any event of great tragedy and magnitude, they tended to believe that it would happen again, but instead of using reason and logic, they relied on prophecies and divination to forward warnings, some even took it upon themselves to pass absurd laws and legislations in order to either oppress unfavored political opinions, 'unacceptable' artistic expression and 'blasphemous' ideas with bloody brutality and viciousness, or gain power and special treatment to stand above just rules and decrees, or, unexpectedly, use these dictates as an excuse for conquest, thus creating horrifying periods of war, tyranny and imbalance. There was not a single one of these so-called "prophecies" becoming real. Or maybe there was one, yet it was regrettably exploited and misused.

Nonetheless, Koha couldn't shake the feeling of dread from his mind, seeing the ongoing increase of the spiritual energy from within the Spirit World via the readings every four-hour span. It was eerie. And he was tired too. He had been keeping himself awake for almost four days now, disregarding others' concern, taking a rest for either regaining strength or having meals briefly and occasionally, having realized that the amount of spiritual energy currently abnormally accumulating would not stop, let alone drop back to the comfortable mark. His eyelids kept lowering every now and then, and Koha had to strain his mind to will his eyes open so as to finish his latest experiment as soon as possible, or else-

"Gah!", he suddenly exclaimed with dismay.

In his distracted state of mind, he unintentionally dropped a sizable vial made out of a special type of plastic, which contained an extremely corrosive and poisonous acid known as 'the Wicked Disintegrator' ( Hydrofluoric acid [ HF ], really really nasty stuff ) or just 'the Disintegrator', on the floor. And even when the floor was decently chemical-and-acid-resistant, it was still highly dangerous, for some of it splashed onto the legs of his protective suit...

"Koha, are you alright?". His first assistant immediately turned to him upon hearing the exclamation.

"Hurry, Hanta, get one of the Disintegrator spill kits!". Koha looked at the younger man through his full-face shield momentarily, then instantly jabbed his gloved pointing finger at two red buckets situated beneath a red first aid station mounted to the wall, near the door, the hazard completely pulling him away from exhaustion and sleepiness, yielding to his sharp perception and superb leadership, him swiftly getting out of his suit, all the while retreating from the puddle of acid, trying to control his breathing and fear.

Without words, Hanta speedily rushed towards the kits, knowing full well what'd happen if he acted too slowly ( because HF interferes with nerve function [ either through skin contact or respiratory mean ], meaning that burns may not initially be painful. Accidental exposures can go unnoticed, delaying treatment and increasing the danger, and even fatality, of the injury. Victims will have eye and skin burns; rhinitis, bronchitis, laryngeal edema, bronchospasm and/or acute pulmonary edema [ fluid buildup in the lungs], and bone damage [ due to HF's extremely corrosive nature, upon physical contact, it will 'eat' through clothes, skin, and flesh down to the bone ]. And if one is unfortunate enough to be exposed to a normal to great amount of HF, severe pain, amputation, and death are a certainty, or will be horribly disfigured for the rest of their life, if treated early and properly, because of HF's ability to cause permanent tissue _death_ ).

After grabbing one of the buckets, Hanta promptly moved back to the puddle, putting it down on the floor a fair distance away, hastily opening the lid, grasping the Disintegrator neutralizers inside - small, white shaker bottles containing white, solidifying powder - shaking them, and proceeding to very carefully cover the acid with the powder in order to avoid an

exothermic reaction ( heat will vaporize HF and increase the risk of exposure ); then, he left the laboratory, seeing that the door ( and surely the vents ) was closed by his mentor so the acid's vapor wouldn't escape. Once Hanta was outside the room, he sealed the door again. After that, he turned to look at Koha, now in his underclothes for fear of the acid also dissolving his lab uniform. Other than that, the old man appeared to not be touched by the Disintegrator at all. Then again, someone had to make sure.

"You know I am a fearless man, who always pushes the boundaries of science in search for great knowledge, but...", he spoke a bit quickly, looking back at his assistant, then halted, swallowing and wiping away sweat of stress upon his forehead, "but I'm no longer young, and the damnably sticky lab uniform, and... and... Well, this is beginning to be too much for me, apparently".

Hanta smiled gently. "I think this is a sign from the spirits, telling you that you need to rest. Exhausting yourself won't bring us any good news, really; just like those readings. I mean, we all need you, and Garkan needs you too".

Koha intended to rebuke Hanta for suggesting such a thing when things were getting more and more ominous and foreboding by the minute, but then he just sighed upon hearing the name of his best student, who he loved like a son despite him never marrying once. Even though Garkan had grown up to be quite a figure of authority within this group of scientists and fighters dedicated to preserve the balance of the world, he still needed guidance in order to lead this family of watchers against overwhelming odds to come. What kind of odds, Koha didn't know for sure, but anything originated from the Spirit World was _not_ to be underestimated. After all, if the Avatar failed, then Garkan must continue to do what he could to prevent imbalance from manifesting to full force at all cost, for the sake of the integrity of everythi-

"Hanta! Koha! What in the Spirit World happened? I heard some noises a few minutes ago. Did one of you almost get hurt again?".

The barrage of words came from Soru Arai, Koha's second assistant, who had been replaced by Hanta after working with the aged adept from dawn 'til dusk, and who was previously sleeping in the second dining room a corridor away from the laboratory. As soon as he had heard a sound like that of the slamming of a door, and someone's panicked muttering, he stumbled out of a sofa, hurriedly re-fastening his belt, fell, got up, rushed to the door out into the corridor, then ran towards the laboratory, fearing some terrible thing had happened while he was sleeping. After the barrage, he saw that neither Hanta nor Koha was hurt, unhesitantly coming to hug Hanta, his lover.

"Oh, thank Goodness, you're safe. I thought... I thought...".

The dark-skinned young man lightly, yet firmly, pried himself from his beloved's hard embrace. Soru was lean, had some decent muscles of a martial art nonbender, but his hug felt like one coming from an earthbender! Softly cupping the other young man's left cheek, he replied:

"Still as dramatic as ever, Mr. Hotman. I and Koha are fine". Before Soru could ask what'd happened again, Hanta continued. "He dropped a vial of the Disintegrator out of exhaustion, but I already took care of it".

Next, he looked back inside the laboratory through the door's small glass. Soru followed his gaze and saw that the neutralization was settling in right at that moment. Turning back to Hanta, then to Koha, the whitish-skinned young man said:

"Are you sure? Did you two check yourselves properly?".

"No, but I'm pretty sure". Hanta nodded. "Notwithstanding, it doesn't hurt to go through a thorough examination just in case".

"Alright, I'm gonna go prepare the examination kit. Hanta, get the professor up and to the medical room-". He stopped. "Maybe I'll go tell Jimena as well. She deserves to know what had trans-".

A voice behind him sounded. "No need for that, I'm here already".

That startled the spirit out of Soru. "Ah! Jimena! Will you please stop doing that!? I know your grandfather was a Yuyan Archer, but Spirits, you don't need to sneak up on people like that all the time, you know!".

Jimena smirked. "Sorry about that, can't help being silent like a really spooky spirit", she spoke, assuming the pose of a hungry ghoul.

"Very funny", Soru responded, looking up at the tall, muscular young woman.

Even after knowing Jimera for a long time, Soru still couldn't shake the awe from his mind every time he saw that the old man's bodyguard was surprisingly stealthy, and of course, fast, for someone as heavily built as her. Normally, she already looked like a goddess; but when one witnessed her in action, she was truly out of this world.

"Was there anything wrong, Jimena?". Once again, before Soru could speak, another person cut him off. It was Koha. "The readings... Did they spike once more?".

Now Jimena's face turned serious. "No. However, the third detector just detected another source of energy; not spiritual in nature, mind you; just as it was designed. It was more like... concentrated electrical power".

Hanta was puzzled. "Concentrated electrical power? Where?".

"It's beneath Republic City. The problem is, I don't know where exactly. And worse, that source of power? It must be equal to half of the Republic City Power Plant's stored energy".

 **Note 2: Just correcting some stuff.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Note: Sorry for the wait. My past weeks just sucked, as usual. But no matter, this chapter is here, and that is enough for me. I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

 **Chapter III**

 **Intro**

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world" - Tenzin

...

Inside the Republic City Prison, the next afternoon.

Breathing deeply, after a 5-minute break, Garkan continued to practice his earthbending stances and martial art movements, his eyes still closed as usual. It'd been two week and three days since he last practiced his routine self-discipline, not because of laziness or health problem or anything like that, but because of Meifeng. She had become quite fascinating to him. However, on account of her love for martial arts, Garkan could sometimes have a chance to refine her movements, attacks, defenses and meditation methods, thus, giving him opportunities to sharpen his martial art knowledge and his mental state. It all had been greatly captivating. Also, waking up entangled with the female prison guard, once again, had made him feel a bit... merry. It was still dark outside, yet he was ready to rise, for Meifeng needed to return to her sleeping quarters without being discovered. Even though a part of him wanted Meifeng to stay, wanted him to hold onto her warm, naked flesh for a while longer, he had to let her go. Selfishness is a sure way to lead to obsession, and obsession blinds one's true vision. And if one is blinded, one cannot be free to fulfill-

 _Free. Freedom._

Now the young man longed for that word again, more than ever, in view of the fact that he had just received a letter from Koha at one o'clock in the afternoon, via a biologically engineered messenger hawk. And the letter, so short and straight-to-the-point that it was more like a note, spoke of the third detector uncovering some sort of energy source, highly suggested that it was electrical power, right beneath Republic City. What the nature of the energy was and where it was exactly, no one knew. Nevertheless, Jimena was certain that "it must be equal to half of the Republic City Power Plant's stored energy". This worried Garkan greatly. For he was here, in this prison, to keep an eye on Republic City; but what use could he be of if he didn't know what to make of this ominous news with so little information?

He had to get out. _But how? I don't think Meifeng will let me out even with our... 'advanced' relationship._

Nonetheless, the train of thoughts must be forgotten, for he needed to concentrate on his re-established routine self-discipline. _To let loose chaos to achieve an organized, specific task, one must first master their own inner peace and order. Look inwards, and sense the inmost space; be tranquil, be focused, and be silent-_

"Well, well, well, looky here, fellas, the almighty and dangerous Garkan". A voice suddenly sounded, stopping him from immersing in his inner space. "A murderer, then an Equalist, and now just a caged beast. It's incredible to think that he almost, almost, broke Beifong's arresting streak".

Opening his eyes, relaxing, turning around to look at the speaker, Garkan saw that it was a young Terra Triad crook, together with three of his friends, all around 17 or 18 years old, and all standing in front of the former Equalist's isolation cell's titanium door ( newly created metal, used to prevent Garkan from either metalbending or lavabending the door [ the walls, floor and ceiling are made of titanium too ] and walk away. Also, this means that Garkan had been previously contained inside a platinum cell, and he already _melted_ its door once during Kuvira's invasion of Republic City ), them scrutinizing him through a sizable vision panel with thick, medium-sized also titanium bars. He had heard of the newcomers from Meifeng the night before, just a bunch of up-and-coming youngsters being overconfident and underestimating Chief Beifong's police force, together with the new Air Nation. _They'll learn their lesson, soon._

"Glad to see that my reputation precedes me". Garkan smiled thinly. "What can I do for you? Some brotherly advice, perhaps?".

"Or some oral service". One of the crooks, judging from where the voice came from, and its low tone, he must be the tallest of them, snickered. "We were told you are very good at it. In fact, so good that the guards had to separate you from the rest of the inmates out there, or there wouldn't be any semblance of order left in this pathetic excuse of a slammer".

Another, sounding pretty short because of his light tone, immediately added as soon as the first finished:"Oooh, yeah, I mean- I'm not really into that kind of shit, but if there was a hole on this door, and if I fished my dick out and stuck it through, he would help me clean it in a heartbeat!".

And then they laughed.

The former Equalist grinned now. "Maybe. But I believe in repaying the favor, and the pleasure of the butthole". He halted for effect. When he continued, his voice changed from being pleasant to downright menacing. "Don't you want to squeal while I stretch your tight holes to the point of feeling like... you might be torn apart?".

That shut them all up.

"See, you are new meat, so you don't recognize the atmosphere in here just yet. I know how you were able to come to this... special place, as the esteemed, new Warden doesn't like my presence in his prison very much". Garkan approached the door. "No, it messes with his authority. He thought you could do the dirty work while everyone else was unable to; but I assure you, that kind of thinking is very _very_ hazardous. You should quit before it's too late. Because my reputation is not a rumor, oh quite the contrary, it's... very real".

As if the slightly older male's comment struck a raw nerve, not hesitating, the pack leader countered vehemently:"Be careful with your words, you has-been bastard. You are the one in the cage, not outside of it. Furthermore, we saw that the pretty guard likes to visit you very much. It'd be a shame for her to not be... pretty anymore".

Garkan chuckled. "Are you sure about that? There are four of you, and then some; but there are many of us ready to take care of you _quietly_. You have made the mistake of miscalculating the effectiveness of the police under Chief Beifong's administration, you have undervalued the new airbenders, you'd better not misread me like judging a book by its cover. Your pathetic threat is nothing compared to what I'm planning for you right now. It will be long and hard for your life, and it ain't worth it either. With that said, time for you to beat it, and give my friend the Warden my regards".

With no other way to react to him being schooled by the other prisoner's wits, the pack leader could only resort to spitting at his face through the titanium bars. "We'll see about that", he grumbled, "we'll see about that".

Following this, the Terra Triad hoodlums hastily walked away from the most vicious murderer's cell, and retreated from the solitary confinement wing without a word. Garkan sighed, wiping the spit away. _That's the damnable problem with problems, they never arrive one by one, even though this one is more of a minor irritation instead of being trouble._ As the young man was about to return to his routine, having turned around and stepped back deep into the cell, a series of knocking sounds emitted from the cell on his left. It was the tap code.

 **They have no idea they just made the wrong kind of enemy, do they?**

Garkan smiled inwardly. Although Suluk was a 'veteran' Triple Threat Triad, and he had killed before, he was quite friendly enough to him despite him used to being a part of the Equalist Revolution, having taught him a lot about this prison, including the tap code, and he rarely asked questions about the former Equalist's past, so Garkan considered Suluk an exceptionally useful ally. Quickly grabbing a chopstick, he returned to the door and rapped on one of the bars.

 **No, they don't. And I think I know how to make this prison go back to the pleasant state it used to have before, when Sun Qiu was still the Warden.**

 **Does that include another one of your escape attempt?**

 **If there are some drastic changes out there, yes. But you know me. When I say 'if', I mean 'when'.**

...

The Southern Water Tribe, afternoon, one day before.

The moment Korra and Asami walked out of the Southern Portal, they immediately was headed towards the Southern Water Tribe Royal Palace, the Avatar being very excited, and her girlfriend still a little nervous. After a while, they finally arrived at the huge building, with both cold and warm colors ( the ice's tone and the reflection of golden sunlight ) 'decorating' the vast foundation and the temple-like part of the upper portion of the structure. Once inside, the couple were greeted by the warmingly smiling Tonraq and Senna.

"Korra, what a surprise! We didn't expect you". Tonraq was happy to see his daughter again. "I thought you were still on vacation".

While Tonraq was hugging his daughter, Senna talked to Asami:

"What did you think of the Spirit World, Asami?".

Asami answered a bit hesitantly:"It was quite an adventure- but we had to cut our trip a little short".

Tonraq was instantly worried. "Why? Are you two alright?".

"We're fine, Dad. Nothing we couldn't handle together", Korra replied.

Senna put a hand on her daughter's left shoulder. "How about we talk over dinner? You girls must be starving".

As soon as the four of them went through halls and corridors to the dining room, and entered it, Senna went to prepare dinner straightaway, with Asami's help, of course. Meanwhile, Korra and Tonraq chatted about stuff to kill time; from things going on in the Southern Water Tribe to Republic City's affairs. However, when Tonraq asked about their vacation, Korra swiftly either changed the subject or used the excuse of waiting for dinner just to be... convenient. Later, after Asami and Senna exited the kitchen to bring trays of food to the table, everyone began to settle in. Upon smelling the food, Korra said:

"It smells delicious, Mom".

Senna smiled. "Thanks, sweetie. Now eat, while the food is still hot".

Korra and Asami nodded, ready to dig in. After a short while, Senna spoke:

"So, I'm excited to hear all about your trip".

Korra looked at Asami. The CEO of Future Industries was concentrating on her food.

"Well...". The young Avatar began. "It was... fun. Really fun".

Tonraq and Senna looked at each other. Finally, Korra's father replied:

"Sounds... fun".

Korra smiled shyly, touching the upper part of her left arm with her right hand. "I'm just going to come out and say it...". She halted. "Wow, I didn't think I'd be this nervous".

Senna gently assured her daughter:"Whatever it is, you can tell us".

"So, as you know, Asami and I have been friends for a long time... And, well...".

Asami placed her left hand on Korra's right once it was put on the table again, her looking at her lover tenderly. "Your daughter is incredible. And I'm so thankful she feels the same way about me".

Korra continued, looking back at her beloved. "What we're trying to say is...".

"We're together", in unison, they spoke.

Tonraq and Senna stared at the young couple for several seconds, and then... Tonraq enlivenedly slammed a hand on the table's surface.

"That's not what I expected to hear, but I couldn't be more pleased!".

Senna clasped her hands together. "It's wonderful!".

Next, the Avatar's mother came to embrace her.

"I'm so happy for you two".

"Thanks, Mom", Korra responded while still hugging her mother.

Tonraq also stood up. Calmly, he inquired:"So, who else have you told?".

Korra turned to her father as Senna hugged Asami too. "You two are the first ( she didn't know that all of Republic City had already known about her and Asami being an item ). But I guess once we get back to Republic City, _everyone_ will know".

The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe was instantly worried, again. "Just be careful, Korra. It's best to keep your personal life _private_ ".

Korra frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?".

Senna quickly intervened. "I think what your father is trying to say is: Not everyone will be so _accepting_ ".

The young Avatar scoffed. "So? That's their problem. I don't care what they think. I'll tell whoever I want".

"Korra...".

"Just don't get ahead of yourself, Korra", Tonraq cautioned, "sometimes you get a little too excited and-".

The Water Tribe girl countered:"I've dealt with a lot of narrow-minded people. I just didn't realize you were one of them".

Deciding to defuse the tense moment, Asami lightly placed a hand on Korra's left arm. "Maybe we should go".

"Good idea". Korra huffed.

As the Avatar led her lover out of the dining room, her parents went too.

Senna was sad to see that their reunion got cut off abruptly. "But you just got here".

"Korra, please. I didn't mean to upset you", Tonraq called out to his daughter.

Not turning around, Korra only let loose a "Too late for that!".

After that, the two got on a snowmobile, heading back towards the location of the Southern Portal. On the way, Korra apologized to Asami.

"I'm sorry about my parents. Sometimes they can be so... insensitive".

Asami replied softly:"They were just being cautious. And I kind of understand where they're coming from".

Korra was surprised. "You do?".

The older girl nodded. "Listen- I'm not embarrassed or ashamed to be with you at all. So if you wanted to tell the world about us, I'd be right behind you".

Shortly later, they reached a White Lotus outpost near ( actually a safe distance away ) the portal, parking the snowmobile at that place; then, they continued on foot. Once they were out of earshot, Asami spoke again:

"As I said, if you wanted to tell people about us, I'd always stay with you. But there's a selfish part of me that wants you all for myself... At least for a little while longer. I guess that's why I was hesitant to tell your parents in the first place".

Korra sighed, downcast. "I'm such an idiot. You were trying to tell me you didn't want to go and I just steamrolled over your feelings. My dad's right, I do get overexcited. I'm sorry".

The long-haired girl turned her head towards her beloved. "It's all right. I'm excited too. But what we have, it's kind of like the Spirit World- It's special and rare. And not everybody is going to see it that way".

She lovingly grasped three of Korra's left fingers. Korra, then, said:

"Asami, no matter what anyone says about us, I'll have your back. You can count on that".

"Same here".

And then they walked through the portal.

As the couple emerged from the golden Spirit Portal, they immediately heard the sounds of bickering.

"You have ten _seconds_ to vacate this area, or I'll call the police!".

The voice belonged to a businessman, middle aged, having quite a big belly due to the luxurious lifestyle, and an aura of an... arrogant and lordly buffoon. After what he said, he began counting.

"Ten... Nine... Eight...".

Standing before him were the members of the Air Nation, and leading them to oppose the rich and imperious schmuck was none other than Jinora. Upon hearing the man count, she swiftly countered:

"You can keep counting, but we're not going anywhere!".

Supporting her were Kai and Opal, who quickly agreed with what Jinora had said.

"Yeah!".

"You tell him, Jinora!".

Irritated by the young girl's stubbornness, the business man scowled.

"Listen, young lady, you and your air associates need to go back to your island. This is _my_ property!", he barked.

Tenzin's eldest refused to step down. "This land is _sacred_ now! It belongs to the _spirits_ ".

Hurriedly approaching her friends, Korra half-turned to look at her girlfriend. "Look like our vacation's officially over".

Once Jinora detected the duo advancing towards the spirit vine-covered edge of the crater a short distance away, she called out to her "big sister".

"Korra, you're back!".

Looking straight at the younger girl, the Avatar asked:"What's going on?", while Asami glanced at the man with annoyance.

"We were having a nice, quiet meditation session around the portal…", explained Jinora, "… when that guy showed up, yelling at us to leave".

"Who is he?". The young Avatar was puzzled.

Without expressing courtesy, the man shamelessly interrupted the conversation by telling her his name. " _Wonyong Keum_. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Avatar Korra".

"What are _you_ doing here?", Asami inquired Keum curtly.

"Miss Sato?". Keum was surprised to see the head of Future Industries side by side with the Avatar. "Why, I almost didn't recognize you. The last time I saw you-".

She cut him off immediately. "I was fourteen and you'd just walked out on an important deal with my father".

"That was _business_ , nothing personal. And I'm very sorry to hear what happened to your father".

Asami's gaze hardened. "I don't want your condolences".

Seeing that he was not welcomed by the Sato girl, the sharp-suited man turned his attention back to Korra, bold-facedly demanded her:"Anyway… Avatar Korra, if you would be so kind as to escort these _interlopers_ off my land".

Jinora warned at once:"Korra, don't listen to him. He's trying to turn this whole area into an _amusement_ park! He wants to build a road so he can drive truckloads of _tourists_ into the Spirit World!".

The man smiled. "She makes it sound so crass. This will be a _state-of-the-art_ experience for the _discerning traveler_! The Spirit World is a wondrous and beautiful place. Everyone should have the opportunity and access to experience it, don't you think?".

The Avatar didn't know what to say. "Well…".

However, Asami briskly stepped in. "The Spirit World _is_ a beautiful place. And that's why people like _you_ shouldn't be allowed anywhere near it!".

"You can yell at me all you like, but it won't do any good", Keum countered, "Keum Enterprises _owns_ this land. And these deeds give me the right to do whatever I want with it".

Then, all of a sudden, a spirit appeared, scaring the bad side out of the man, causing him to yelp out loud. "You're just another _human_ who refuses to respect the _sacred_ ".

It continued:"You think a piece of paper gives you the right to _ravage_ and _plunder_ the Spirit World?".

After that, it turned to Korra. "I urge you to _close_ the portal, Avatar. It was never meant to be here and humans like this man will only _exploit_ it".

Not hesitating, Korra replied:"Not long ago, I came to you for help and you said spirits wouldn't get involved with human conflicts. Why are you so interested now?".

lazily flying towards the portal, the creature responded:"Because now there is a portal to the Spirit World in the _middle of a metropolis_. I have no choice but to protect my _kind_ ".

Korra spoke gently:"I understand you want to keep the spirits safe. We all do. But shutting the portal isn't the answer".

Next, she turned to others. "And I'm not just saying that because I almost _died_ when this portal was created. I truly believe that this new spiritual energy will have a harmonious effect on the people of Republic City".

Inwardly sighing, the dragon-eel said:"Very well, Avatar. I can't force you to close the portal. But I will hold you _responsible_ for keeping it _safe_ ".

Instantly, Asami turned to her beloved. "You won't have to protect it alone".

"Yeah. We're all here to help", chimed in Opal, smiling supportively.

Not wanting to admit defeat yet, Keum closed the distance between him and the Avatar, pointing a finger at her face. "This still doesn't change the fact that you are all _trespassing_ on my land! I want you out of here _immediately_!".

Before Korra could say anything, a stern, female voice sounded behind Keum.

"No, they are _not_ ".

Upon turning around, Keum saw that he was looking at the face of the bane of his corporate existence - Professor Asima, head of the Joint Department of Engineering, Biology and Chemistry of Sokka University, and one of the first of the self-labeled "environmental activists". Taking another step forwards to Keum, gazing at him with her sharp eyes, she finished what she'd intended to say.

"But you are".

Gritting his teeth, Keum could only utter a hateful "You".

Smiling humorlessly, the long and dark-haired, slightly brown-skinned, 30-something woman, who was accompanied by an entourage of about a dozen men and women, both young and old, in white, buttoned lab coat, responded:"Yes, it's me. Been a while, isn't it?".

"What do you want... professor?", the head of Keum Enterprises growled.

"I want nothing", the woman spoke flatly and straightforwardly, "but I have requested the President to grant the Joint Department of Engineering, Biology and Chemistry of the University the priority, and privilege…". She turned to Korra, Asami ( who smiled warmly at the older woman ) and the airbenders for their benefit. "… to be able to study the wonderful flora that this portal has bestowed upon us all, for the beneficial interests of both humans and the spirits. And according to all the contributions the University has been giving Republic City, and the world, for the past three decades, under the name of Councilman Sokka, the esteemed Mr. Raiko saw no apparent reasons to refuse. This land right now still belongs to the spirits, and their heroic, human airbending guardians, and _before_ that, the _public_ property of Republic City; therefore, even though I have authority over _you_ , I will, nevertheless, personally ask the Avatar her permission for my students and assistants to respectfully analyze the magnificent spirit-ecology around here. Meaning, your deeds have been _revoked_ ; you and your faking underlings can make haste… and leave now".

Keum was confounded. "W-what? Revoked? Im... Impossible! I paid for this land with my own money!".

Asima smiled thinly. "Oh, Wonyong, you should have known that... there's _nothing_ I can't do. And thank you for your... generous and _selfless_ donation to help the University's Green Project further develop the world's path towards... _unity_ ".

Following that, deciding to ignore the perturbed corporate man and turning her attention towards the young Avatar, the female professor addressed her:

"Avatar Korra, my name is Asima, and as the representative of both the Join Department and Sokka University, I ask you for the permission to conduct research here in a friendly and peaceful manner, followed by deferential procedures and protocols". Next, she raised her right hand, palm open and facing outward. "And under Republic City's law, I solemnly swear that I am telling the truth and nothing else, and by my profession, if I am lying, then I don't deserve the honor of being an individual of science".

Once she finished talking, she waited for Korra to answer.

The Avatar, being unfamiliar with science and formal, modern oaths, looked at Asami for guidance. She, then, received a gentle nod. Smiling with understanding, she turned back to the older woman; and to her own surprise, she saw herself offering Asima her hand.

"As long as you respect the spirits, you are always welcome here".

Not hesitating, yet not being eager either, the other female grasped and shook Korra's hand, and Korra inwardly noticed that the woman's grip was pretty strong for a professor.

"My gratitude, Avatar Korra. Your wise decision will be helping _us_ a great deal".

After facing Asami to courteously acknowledge her again, still ignoring Keum, yet hearing the man's "Hmph!" and his shouts at his work crew as he was forced to depart, Asima ( and if you think I just swapped some letters in Asami's name for this character's, that is NOT the case. It is unintentional ) turned to regard her entourage.

"Alright, people. We have work to do. Time to get busy", she announced, her absentmindedly touching the object signifying her devotion to a greater cause than science, but it's still connected to science nonetheless; which lied in her grey lab coat's inner pocket - the brass carving of the symbol of the Life Tree; to steel herself even further.

 _The next step of our goal now is underway._


End file.
